From the I-INCE Vice President, Rules and Governance
The International Institute of Noise Control Engineering (I-INCE) is an international, nonprofit, nongovernmental, scientific and engineering organization that is a voluntary consortium of professional societies, organizations, and institutions from around the world that are involved in technical aspects of the engineering control of noise and vibration. The following overview of the I-INCE is based on the rules, procedures, and bylaws of the institute as well as further information available on the I-INCE website (at www.i-ince.org/).
As a consortium of organizations, the I-INCE consists of member societies (currently 54), institutional members (currently 1), and sustaining members (currently 8) and does not have individual members. Member societies must be not-for-profit professional societies that hold goals and objectives consistent with those of the I-INCE and that are open to membership by individual professionals. Institutional members must be not-for-profit educational institutions or research organizations with goals and objectives consistent with those of the I-INCE. Sustaining members are organizations interested in the work of the I-INCE. All applications for membership in any of the three categories are reviewed by the I-INCE Board of Directors and approved by the I-INCE General Assembly. Organizations involved in fields of interest closely related to those of the I-INCE may be admitted by the I-INCE Board of Directors as affiliated organizations of the I-INCE.
The key goals of the I-INCE as articulated in Article 3 of the I-INCE Bylaws are to perform the following tasks:
- Serve as a federation of professional societies of the world that is dedicated to advancing technical developments in the engineering control of noise and vibration; and to
- Provide a leadership role in promoting the application of noise and vibration control technology for the benefit of mankind.
Article 3 of the Bylaws goes on to state, “To achieve the Key Goals, the Institute recognizes the needs and responsibilities of noise control engineers in all countries. The Institute seeks to unite these engineers in common purpose through close cooperation with their national professional societies with interests in the engineering aspects of noise and vibration control.”
The governance and management of the affairs of the I-INCE is a shared responsibility of the officers, the board of directors, and the general assembly, with specific responsibilities as delineated in the bylaws, rules, and procedures of the I-INCE. The officers of the I-INCE are the president, president elect, immediate past president, the vice presidents, the secretary-general, and the treasurer. The I-INCE Board of Directors consists of the officers, three directors representing the three most recent past INTER-NOISE congresses, three directors-at-large elected by the general assembly, and distinguished board members elected by the board. The I-INCE General Assembly is composed of the I-INCE Board of Directors and one representative of each member society. Institutional members, sustaining members, and affiliated organizations may be represented at meetings of the general assembly as observers without voting rights. In general, the I-INCE Board of Directors and officers manage the affairs of the institute with guidance from the general assembly, as specified in the I-INCE bylaws and rules and procedures.
David K. Holger
I-INCE Vice President, Rules and Governance
